The Juice Files
by EmmyRy29
Summary: This is a series of Juan-Carlos "Juice" Ortiz one-shot's and imagines.
1. Addiction

_**Author's Note: I do not own SOA or the Characters, only my OC. I hope you all enjoy, if you do feel free to leave a review! Oh, and if you're on tumblr feel free to look me up, callmemrskozik, let's be friends!**_

 _ **Music Muse -My Heroine by The Maine**_

 _ **XO,**_

 _ **Emmy**_

* * *

 _ **Addiction**_

He watches his Old Lady laughing as she talks with Gemma and Lyla; every once in a while her eyes search the crowd for him and when she finds him, she smiles. She's managed to fit right in, after a few hiccups of course, but she's part of the family now, but every once in a while, on nights like tonight when the mood is subdued and relaxed he likes to think back on how it all started.

 ** _-XX-_**

The music is so loud he can feel the bass pulsing in his chest as his eyes are trained on the way the girl in the red skirts hips sway to the rhythm, her hands coming up to push at a cascade of raven black hair, and when she catches him staring she smiles. The way she moves her body is a sirens call that only he can hear and without thinking he follows it. His craving for her hits so fast and so hard, he's nearly knocked breathless, and licking his lips he starts to push through the crowd, the need to be close to her so fierce he doesn't think to question it.

Their first time is fast and sweaty; naked bodies pressing together in the dimly lit bathroom of the club, he doesn't care much, and if the way her nails rake down his back and her teeth sinking into his shoulder are any indication she doesn't seem to mind either. He drives into her relentlessly, but she keeps up, her hips meeting every thrust, and when his mouth seeks hers he finds the taste of her like a drug, and he needs more but before too long he's emptying himself into her. She gives a soft hum of approval as she pulses around him and before he can collect his thoughts she's smoothing her skirt back into place and checking her makeup in the mirror.

"Hey, what's your name?" he manages to ask just as she starts pushing open the bathroom door and looking over her shoulder she smiles at him.

"See you around Juicy," her voice is smoky as she pressed back out into the sea of people and by the time he manages to get his pants back up to go in search of her, she's disappeared.

 _ **-XX-**_

It took him a few weeks but he finds her, another party, another dance floor, and this time he's determined to not only find out her name, but to get her under him again. He slides up behind her, hands cupping her hips and drawing her close. The energy in the room from the music is palpable and when her arms come up to wrap around his neck he feels himself growing hard in his jeans. She rolls herself against him and his mouth grows dry. He turns her, and when her eyes open she grins at the sight of him, and grasping onto his leather she pulls him close to her, her lips a breath from his ear.

"I told you I'd see you around Juicy Boy," she says on a laugh and taking his hand she leads him from the packed dance floor and out into the cool night air. He takes the opportunity afforded to him and boxes her in against the side of the building. The light is dim, casting a shadow across her features and because he has a need that burns inside of him to see her face, to look into her eyes, he brushes the hair from her face. Her eyes are the color of warm honey and when she smiles they seem to grow even more warm which just seems inconceivable to him. His hands frame her face and with his lips close to hers he asks the question he's been dying to ask.

"Who are you?"

"Take me home and maybe you'll find out…"

 ** _-XX-_**

Their hands are on each other before the door even closes fully behind them. It's Juice who makes first contact, his hands craving the feel of her skin under his fingertips. As his hands push at the slinky material of her dress his lips take hers, the taste of her clouding his thoughts as fingers press into the tender flesh of her thighs.

She moans, hands squeezing his arms before she drops them to her side and divulges herself of the dress, tossing it over his shoulder, and then she's in the air legs circling his waist as he carries her to the living room; and once she's settled back onto the ground her desperation has reached the same fever pitch as his. He takes his time shrugging out of his cut and once it's on the arm chair, it doesn't take long for her to have his shirt off, her hands roaming over the tight skin of his chest and abdomen, nimble fingers quickly loosening his belt and popping the button of his jeans. His head falls back as she dips her hand into his boxers, a fire igniting deep in his belly as her hand strokes him to full attention.

His legs threaten to buckle when she drops to her knees in front of him, enveloping him in the warmth of her mouth and she gives a sound of approval when his fingers sink into her hair and pull. She's talented, shooting him quickly to the brink of his climax, and just as he begins to tense she pulls away offering a laugh in response to his instinctive groan of disappointment.

"Not yet baby," she murmurs as she nibbles along his clenched jaw, "I need to feel you Juice, all of you."

Later they lay wrapped in one another, exhausted from their very thorough exploits, and with sleep pushing to take him over he presses his lips to her hair.

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?" he wonders as his fingers lace with hers.

"Emma," she murmurs pressing in closer to him, "my names Emma."

"Emma," whispering her name with a smile he drifts off to sleep.

 ** _-XX-_**

"Hey baby," Emma's voice pulls him from his thoughts and smiling his arm comes around her, his other hand coming to rest on the child that grows inside of her; his child. "Where were you just now?"

"Back where we started," he says pressing a kiss to her lips but instead of pulling away she leans in closer so her lips are close to his ear.

"We can always sneak off to the bathroom, I'm sure no one will notice," she teases her teeth nipping flirtatiously at his earlobe, and he realizes, after four years, she is still his favorite addiction.


	2. Commit to Memory

_**Author's Note: This is a Juan-Carlos "Juice" Ortiz imagine inspired by the song 'Your Call' by Secondhand Serenade. **Trigger Warning for mention of abuse and violence!*** Disclaimer-I do not now, nor have I ever owned SOA or it's characters (though Lord knows I would love to...) only the OC is mine!**_

* * *

 _ **Commit to Memory**_

 _ **-XX-**_

"I told you I'd find you," the calm, calculating voice pulls her from her thoughts and turning she sees Jesse standing in the doorway of the TM office, vibrating with anger.

"Jesse, you can't be here," her voice shakes despite how she tries to hide her fear. It's been eighteen months since she left in the middle of the night, and even though she's lived in fear that entire time she's been trying to pull herself together, "the restraining order…"

"You stupid bitch, do you really think I give a fuck about what a piece of paper says?" he spits taking a step towards her. Her hand instinctively goes for the gun she knows Gemma keeps strapped to the underside of the desk and finding it gone, she closes her eyes on a broken oath.

His hand is strong as it circles her arm, pulling her up from the desk.

"We're going for a little drive now Mari," he says and she cringes having always hated the way he shortened her name and as much as she wants to correct him he presses the barrel of a gun through his coat pocket into her side and any and all arguments slide away. The people she has come to love and care for are just inside the clubhouse and she'll be damned if anything happens to them because of her.

"Okay. Just let me get my purse," she keeps her voice even and with some form of luck swinging her way he loosens his hold so she can bend down for her purse, and as she lifts it from the spot she keeps it under the desk she leaves in its place the simple silver ring Juice gave her, praying it's enough.

 _ **::**_

"Hey babe," Juice calls out as he closes the apartment door behind him. Every single part of him aches from the two day run, but it's worth it now that he's home with her. "Mariana?" He listens to the silence, confused by it, and glancing up at the clock he sees that she should be home. He notices the bowl that sits on the entry way table is empty, her keys and sunglasses nowhere in sight, and he wonders if she got caught up at work. Pulling the cell phone from his pocket he calls her, fear starting to nibble at his mind when it goes straight to voicemail.

It never goes straight to voicemail.

He paces madly as he dials Gemma's number.

"Hey Juice," Gemma's voice fills his head.

"Have you seen Mariana?" he asks rubbing a hand over his head.

"No baby, I thought she was at home. I came to check on her at closing time and she was already gone," Gemma replies and the silence that settles on the line is heavy.

"Something's wrong," Juice says, and without waiting for a response he hangs up the phone and runs for the door.

::

The truck bumps along a dirt road, and looking out of the window she tries to make out her surroundings, but nothing really sticks through the haze. Her body aches, thanks to his hands and anger, and all progress made in the last eighteen months has simply slipped away, the strong woman who had been blossoming effectively stamped back into the cowering shadow of who she used to be.

She wonders how many times Juan has tried calling her, knowing that by now he's working himself up to a fever pitch of worry. Wanting nothing more than to be able to answer his calls, she presses her head to the cool glass of the car window and fights back the tears.

She told herself a year and a half ago that she would never cry in front of Jesse Wilkens ever again, and that's a promise she intends to keep.

 _ **-XX-**_

He sits, arms braced on his knees as he stares at the small circle of silver in the palm of his hand. It's such a simple thing really, a ring that caught his eye while on a run and on a whim he bought it for Mariana, giving it to her for their one-year anniversary.

She had cried.

Not because she assumed it meant they were engaged, because they weren't, but because as she would tell it, no one had given her anything before. Not her deadbeat parents. Not her abusive douche bag ex-boyfriend.

He made love to her that night, for what felt like the first time, taking his time to savor the way her body moved with his, the taste of her sweat slicked skin, and closing his eyes on the memory his palm closes around her ring. He worries, though he won't say it out loud, that he didn't take nearly as many opportunities to commit everything about her to memory, and the thought of not having the chance to do just that sets off an ache inside of him that he never imagined possible.

"Any word yet brother?" Chibs asks as he comes to settle next to him and with a shake of his head Juice opens his eyes to look at his friend.

"I want to marry her," Juice confesses, slipping the ring into the pocket of his cut, "where is she Chibs? Where the hell is she?"

"I don't know Juicy, but we'll find her, I promise you that," Chibs says clapping him on the back, "though it would be a hell of a lot easier if this was something she'd done before."

Chibs' words hit him like a freight train.

"Oh my God," Juice says as he jumps up and runs for his laptop. "How did I not think of that." He pulls his laptop from his bag and opening it he waits the agonizing few minutes it takes for it to boot up. "You're a fucking genius Chibs."

"I am? I mean of course I am, but why exactly am I genius today?" Chibs asks trying to bring an element of humor to the situation.

"Mariana has disappeared before, that's how she ended up here," Juice says as he starts typing in all information he has on Jesse Wilkens, and when the results come back that he had been released early on good behavior he swears. "Son of a bitch. I know who has Mariana, and I think I know where."

 _ **-XX-**_

She's curled into herself, fingers tracing mindless patterns on the wall. Jesse snores next to her, and while a part of her has studied the space between her and the door she knows it would be pointless trying to make a run for it, as she's handcuffed to her captor.

She had loved him once. A terrifying, all consuming kind of love that lent itself more to obsession and infatuation than to sincerity and genuine emotion. There connection had burned bright, like a supernova, scorching everything in its path, and when that light died out, she was left with the aftermath of a love gone terribly wrong.

When all was said and done and she managed to run away, she hated him; but more than anything, she hated what she had become while with him.

As a means of escape from the dark path her thoughts threaten to take her down she lets her mind wander to Juan, and a ghost of smile crosses her lips. Closing her eyes, she pictures his smile, remembering the countless nights they found themselves sitting naked in the middle of the bed they now share talking and eating, mostly junk, because though his body would indicate otherwise, Juan has one hell of a sweet tooth.

She wonders if they'll ever do that again.

No, she tells herself. It will never happen again. Jesse will never let her go. She has two choices, pick up where she left off with Jesse, as if the last year and a half of blessed freedom from his control was nothing more than a bittersweet vacation, or die.

Like it says in Peter Pan, _'to die will be an awfully big adventure.'_ She lets out a shuddering breath as tears flow down her cheeks, but then she sees a flash of light shine through the window. Her heart catches in her chest, and when the silence grows agonizingly loud and long, she wonders if she simply dreamt it up until she hears the crash and the sound of splintering wood.

Jesse moves fast, rolling over her, and with her back pressed firmly to his chest, shielding him, he holds the hunting knife to her throat as light pours into the room.

Juan takes point with Chibs and Happy flanking him, and in spite of the way the blade bites into her throat she smiles.

She wanted nothing more than to see Juan's face one last time.

 _ **-XX-**_

"Drop the knife asshole, and let Mariana go," his voice is low as he stares at the man he's come to hate.

"Fuck you, she's mine," Jesse spits adding just enough pressure to the blade at Mariana's throat that a drop of blood rolls down her skin, soaking into her shirt.

"I can't get a clear shot brother," Happy mutters angrily.

"Neither can I," Chibs offers and he knows what it means.

It's for him to do.

It's the only way that Mariana will ever really be free of him, free to live a life without fear, free to live her life God willing that she chooses to, with him.

"Juan," Mariana's voice whispers through the fog clouding his head. His eyes meet hers and they shine, as a tear rolls down her cheek. "I love you."

The room erupts as he pulls the trigger and when both Jesse and Mariana slump back he's terrified that he missed his mark, but then he hears her crying, and pressing the gun he holds into Happy's waiting hands he goes to her.

"I've got you," he says pushing the hair from her face, looking past the spray of blood that paints her skin, "I'm going to get you out here Mariana, I promise, you just have to stay with me baby, stay with me."

 _ **::**_

He helped her shower, gritting his teeth at the bruises and scrapes, and when she turned in his arms to press her face into his throat he held on as she rode out the storm of her emotions, and once she emptied herself he dressed her in one of his shirts and tucked her into bed, climbing in beside her.

His hand rests overs hers as he studies her face, and with a smile he brushes a kiss to her cheek, promising to ask her in the morning if she'll give him the rest of their lives together so he can commit everything about her to memory.


	3. Chasing Fire

_**Author's Note: This is Juan-Carlos "Juice" Ortiz one-shot imagine inspired by 'Just Like Fire' by P!nk. I hope that anyone reading this enjoys, if you do, don't be shy and drop me a review. **Disclaimer-I Do Not now nor have I ever owned SOA or any of it's characters, only the OC's and story line are mine!** **Trigger Warning-This story deals with themes of abuse, if this is triggering for you, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT READ!****_

 _ **Chasing Fire**_

 _ **-XX-**_

She knew it was stupid of her. She was constantly on the move; so why she had even turned on the laptop in the first place, she couldn't understand. Something told her to she supposed. The same something that led her to her old virtual stomping grounds, led her to Juan. And after four months of literally zero contact with anyone, it was nice to talk to someone.

She smiles just thinking about him. That was six months ago, and even still she couldn't begin to tell you what he looks like, but somehow she knows him, inside and out; the same way he knows her. Which makes the situation she's found herself in that much harder. She got too comfortable, and in that comfort came complacence, and complacence always led to mistakes, and she made one. A big one.

"You don't have much time Julie, what's it going to be?" the voice sounds bored and lifting her head she studies the man before her. He's dressed in a carefully tailored suit, and he lifts a hand to study his perfectly manicured nails. The sight of him makes her sick.

She's tasted more freedom in the last ten months of zig-zagging the country then she did in the entirety of her life and she isn't ready to give it up.

"I'm not going back with you Evan," Julie states trying to sound strong, but her voice shakes, and when he smacks her she doesn't let out a noise. She just straightens her shoulders and smiles. Nothing has changed with him. She should have known.

"What are you going to do Julie? Whore yourself out to some piece of trash biker? Maybe you were hoping they'd pass you around…" Evan's voice is cold despite the anger that rages in his eyes. Julie's eyes widen in disbelief. How did he know about Juan? "That's right Julie, I know all about him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Julie offers weakly, as she settles back onto the edge of the bed.

"You never could lie…"

 _ **::**_

His eyes flick to the clock, and licking his lips he feels the nervousness building inside of him. For the past six months at exactly the same time she's popped up on his messenger, and they talked, their conversations covering anything and everything. She was the first person he felt he could be the most authentic version of himself with.

He can be just Juan, and for her, that's enough.

His laptop pings, pulling him from his thoughts and he can't help the smile that crosses his face when he sees her name flashing on the screen.

' _Juice…'_ he stares at the screen in confusion. Julie never calls him Juice. Ever.

' _What's wrong?'_ he types back and while he waits for a response he chews nervously at his thumb.

' _Found me. Time up. Game over.'_ He reads and re-reads the words, trying to understand, and before he can ask her what the hell is going she signs off.

"Son of a bitch!" the words rip through him and pushing away from the counter he starts to pace. He has to find her but he doesn't even know where to begin.

 _ **-XX-**_

"You caused a lot of trouble Julie," Evan's voice is calm as he leads her by the elbow to the waiting BMW. Everything inside of her builds with dread. She doesn't want to go back. She can't. She'll die if she does; maybe not physically but her spirit would surely succumb to the pressures of the life she was expected to live. "Hopefully this little, stunt, was more than enough to prove that you can't make it on your own."

"I've been making it on my own for ten months Evan. Ten months," Julie says trying to pull her arm from his grasp but he just tightens his hold, and she knows the anger he's capable of. She's counting on it. "What pisses you off more? That I don't need you the way you wanted me to believe I did, or that I don't want you?"

His jaw clenches tight and bracing herself she's ready for the blow, but nothing comes of it. Instead he pulls open the back door and shoves her inside.

"You're going to learn your place," he says getting in the driver's seat. "This time, you won't ever forget it."

 _ **::**_

"So let me get this straight," Chibs' words are slow his voice calm, "the last six months you've been talking to someone online, and you're convinced, because she called you Juice, that something is wrong."

"Something's wrong because she told me so," Juice says through clenched teeth. He's spent the last couple of hours trying to get him to understand the seriousness of what's going on, but they can't seem to get past the whole _"online"_ thing.

"Sounds to me like a bored housewife whose husband found out what wifey's been doing while he was away," Chibs says on a laugh, and shaking his head Juice snaps his laptop shut.

"Forget it," he says, and as he moves to get up Chibs lays a hand on his arm. The older man's eyes search his face and letting out a breath he shakes his head.

"You're serious about this girl?" Chibs asks and Juice nods. "Start at the beginning. Don't leave anything out."

 _ **::**_

"And you're sure she isn't married?" Chibs asks blowing out a steady stream of smoke.

"I'm sure. She's engaged. Or she was. Until ten months ago," Juice says rubbing a hand over his head. It feels weird letting someone into his and Julie's world. "Old money, that's really all that she said about the guy. She wouldn't give me his name, said the last thing she wanted was to read that he had disappeared under mysterious circumstances."

"You think he tracked her down?" Chibs asks and with a sigh Juice shrugs.

"If he did it's because he paid someone too. That's what his type does."

"So, why don't you work your computer magic and track her down?"

"You think I haven't tried that already? Julie's smart, and she's damn good. She used dummy I.P addresses, never stayed connected to one for too long, made sure to constantly jump them, she was all over the map. I can't pinpoint her," he says and he can't help the tone of pride that rings in his voice.

"So what can we do?" Chibs asks putting out his cigarette.

"Nothing we can do but wait."

 _ **-XX-**_

She's exhausted, down to the bone. She couldn't begin to say how long she's been walking, but she keeps moving. One foot in front of the other. She had to do it. She had no choice. That's what she's been telling herself since she walked away from the smoldering car. She couldn't leave Evan in the smoking wreckage; no matter how much she hated him, she wouldn't have his death on her hands, so she pulled him free making sure there was a safe distance between him and what was left of his BMW. Sure she may have caused the accident but for her it was the only way that she felt she was going to be able to get away.

She used Evan's phone to call 911, and to send one message, and she hoped to hell that he understood.

 _ **::**_

His phone buzzes across the nightstand, and with a groan he throws his hand out, searching for it, and when he finally finds it he lifts it trying to read the words through sleep blurred eyes. He doesn't recognize the number so his first instinct is to ignore it.

' _Where there's smoke…'_ his eyes are sliding closed with the words tumbling in his head and then he's sitting upright, all of his muscles tensing as the meaning behind the words sink in. He jumps from his bed and fumbles as he drags on his jeans, and with only one arm through his shirt he's racing down the hall to bang on Chibs' door.

"Chibs, we have to go! I know where Julie is!" he calls frantically through the door and without waiting for a response he's dashing down the hall, and as he turns the corner her runs face first into Opie who laughs.

"Slow down Juicy boy, where's the fire?" Opie asks with a grin.

"I don't know," Juice answers honestly as he runs, "but I'm going to find it."

 _ **::**_

He stands, hands at his waist as he studies the twisted wreck of metal. The fire department had the fire out relatively quickly, but there were more questions than answers, and absolutely no sign of Julie. Every clue that would have been left in the car was gone, destroyed by the lick of hot flames, and according to the tow man, the guy the car belongs to was found lying unconscious on the side of the road, but he hadn't been thrown from the impact. No, he was pulled free.

"Julie," her name is a whisper as he fights the smile; where he would be all too happy to let the man suffer, Julie would save the sorry son of a bitch.

"There was no girl found at the scene brother," Chibs says and with a grin Juice snaps his helmet back into place.

"That's because she's on the move again. She wouldn't stay, even if she's hurt. If she has the chance to get away she's going to take it, no matter what," he says and climbing on his bike he brings it to life with a roar.

He parks his bike in front of another diner, and letting out a sigh, he's ready to give up. He's searched for a couple of hours now, scoping out diners and rest stops, watching for any sign of Julie, but there's nothing.

He tells himself that this is the last place he's going to look. He can't chase fire forever.

 _ **-XX-**_

She swirls the straw in the glass in front of her, fighting to stay awake. She's dozed on and off, grateful when the waitress gave a knowing smile upon seeing her and led her to the booth in the darkened corner.

"Hey sugar, are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" the waitress asks on her next round and though her stomach rumbles loudly she knows she can't pay for anything.

"I'm fine," Julie says with a soft smile, before taking a sip from her water, "more water would be great."

"Alright," she says her attention turning to the door as the bell overhead gives a cheerful ring, "well isn't he just a cutie…"

Julie tilts her head to follow the woman's gaze and when her eyes land on the man, her heart skips a beat.

"Oh my God…" she whispers, and then she's sinking down in her seat. She never imagined he'd find her. She hoped sure, dreamed of the moment they'd see each other, face to face, she however didn't think that when that moment came that her face would be streaked with dirt and blood, clothes torn and tattered. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"You okay sweetheart?" the waitress asks and with a nod Julie starts to slide from the booth.

"Yeah, fine, listen I need the bathroom…" she tries to call as little attention to herself as possible as she moves towards the bathroom.

"Julie?" the voice comes from behind her, freezing her footsteps, and letting out a steady breath she turns. Her heart hammers in her chest as she looks at him. He's in baggy jeans and a black zip up hoodie that lays open over a black t shirt. To say he's cute is an understatement that has her internally cursing the fact that she looks like a mess.

"Juan," his name comes out on a rush of air as he wraps her in a tight hug, and after freezing for a few seconds her hands curl into the back of his shirt.

"I found you," he whispers against her lips as his hands cup her face.

"I knew you would," she says sliding into the kiss, and with a smile she's finally done running.


	4. It Doesn't Matter

_**Author's Note: This is a Juan-Carlos "Juice" Ortiz one-shot imagine inspired by 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars. **Disclaimer-I DO NOT NOW nor have I ever owned any of the characters of SOA, all I own are my OC's and the story line.** If you happen to like what you've read don't be shy and feel free to drop a review, it will be much appreciated!**_

* * *

 _ **It Doesn't Matter**_

 _ **-XX-**_

' _Nah man, we weren't ever together. She was good for passing the time, but she's just another crow-eater.'_

Juan's words dance through her head as she walks numbly through the club house. The faces of the people she thought were her friends swim before her eyes, and she knows she's crying. Big, fat, humiliating tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Bailey, love, what's wrong?" Chibs asks stepping in front of her, and when his hands come up to cup her shoulders she jumps. Chibs does nothing but stare at her, as her hands fist at her sides. 'I'll find Juice."

"Don't bother," she says and with her voice echoing behind her she walks out.

 _ **::**_

She has to systematically remove every trace of him from her life, it's the only way she's going to survive. Nothing can be left of him. Nothing. She pulls open drawers, dumping out the contents, and finding one of his shirts folded among her own she tosses it towards the growing pile by the bedroom door.

She never noticed how ingrained he had become in her life until now.

When the tears come, she refuses to let them fall. She feels the burn, notices the way her throat thickens, but she swallows them. She won't cry. Not for him. She's given too much already, and she worries that if she gives anymore there simply will be nothing left of her.

It takes hours, but on the final pass through she finds nothing of his still lingering. She ties up the bags, seals the boxes, and taking a deep breath she starts to cart them to her car ignoring her cell phone as it rings in her back pocket. He's been calling all morning, as has just about everyone else she knows, but she refuses to answer.

Better to make a clean break for all involved.

She tosses her phone onto the passenger seat when she slides in to the driver's seat, and taking just a second to grip the steering wheel, she turns the key, prepared to take this last step.

 _ **::**_

Everything has been off for him all day. From Chibs telling him that Bailey left in tears, to her refusal to answer any phone call or text made. He counts down the hours until he can clock out and go see her, and just when he's about to turn his attention back to the work at hand he sees her car pulling in.

Something shifts inside of him, and with a smile he watches her. She's beautiful, and when he lifts his hand in a wave she doesn't return his eyebrows knit together in confusion. Instead of coming towards him she walks straight into the office where Gemma is busy working and closed the door behind her.

"Is that Bailey's car?" Chibs asks and Juice nods dropping the tool in his hands back into the tool box. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"No, she wouldn't answer any phone calls or texts," he says and Chibs let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm telling you Juicy boy, somethings wrong with your girl," Chibs says but Juice pays him no mind as he stares at the closed door.

 _ **::**_

She feels incredibly exposed under Gemma's gaze, and she hates it. Her resolve had been so strong up to this point, but now she feels herself wavering.

"What do you mean your quitting?" Gemma's voice is incredulous as she lights a cigarette.

"It's time for me to move on," she says grimacing over the way her voice shakes.

"Just like that?" Gemma asks, her voice incredulous as her eyes narrow. "No, there's something more to it than that. Something happen between you and Juice?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. I just came to tell you that I'm not coming back to work. I know payroll doesn't go in a for a few more days, so here's the address you can send my last check to. Thanks for taking a chance on me Gemma," she says pushing to her feet as she slides the card across Gemma's desk.

"Bailey," Gemma calls out to her as she walks to her car and she turns, finding Gemma leaning against the open office door, a smile on her lips. "You won't be able to run too far."

"Watch me."

 _ **-XX-**_

He pounds relentlessly on her apartment door, a steady stream of obscenities flowing through his lips all the while. He doesn't care that he beats his hands bloody on the door, and he knows he's become the main attraction for her neighbors. It doesn't matter. He wants answers damn it, and he's going to get them.

"Bailey! Open the fucking door! I know you're home, your car is parked right downstairs," he calls out and when he lifts his hand to pound away on the door again, it opens. Bailey stands on the other side, eyes red rimmed, hair a mess. She wears an oversized shirt that kisses her upper thighs, and under his anger need courses hot.

"Jesus Juan, it's two in the morning. You're lucky my neighbors didn't call the cops," she says and when he moves to step into the apartment she shakes her head, blocking the path.

"Let me in," he says but she shakes her head no.

"You need to go Juan," she says, moving to shut the door but he stops it with his boot.

"Not until you talk to me," he insists which just draws a sound of frustration from her.

"What do you want to talk Juan?"

"Oh I don't know Bailey, how about the fact that you were supposed to meet me this morning, and instead Chibs tells me he watched you walk out in tears, or how about you ignoring every phone call and text message I sent to you all day, but more importantly I want to know why the fuck you quit TM and left my stuff in the parking lot," he says through clenched teeth. Her face betrays her emotions, and just when he thinks she's going to settle on sad, her face flashes hot with anger.

"Why the fuck do you care?" she screams shoving him back a step, "I figured since we weren't actually together I could get your shit out of my apartment so it would stop cluttering up my space, I mean if I'm only good for passing time why keep your shit here, I am after all, just another crow-eater, right?"

 _ **::**_

Bailey watches as realization crosses Juan's face, and she's just petty enough to get some enjoyment out of it.

"Bailey…" he says but she just shakes her head, effectively silencing him.

"It doesn't matter Juan. We never would have worked anyway," she says and when he opens his mouth she keeps talking, knowing that if she gives him the chance he'll shake her of her resolve. "I'm leaving, day after tomorrow, going home to my family in North Carolina. You won't have to worry about seeing me around. Good bye Juan."

She closes the door, and with her back pressed against the wood she slides down hugging her knees to her chest, and with the sound of his bike roaring away to fill her head, she comes undone.

 _ **-XX-**_

"I can't believe you just let her leave like that," the tone of disappoint in Chibs' rings so true to Juice's ear he doesn't need to look at him to know it's written all over his face.

"What choice did I have?" Juice asks, taking another long drink from the bottle.

"How about telling her the truth? You should've told her it wasn't her you were talking about that morning," Chibs insists but Juice just shakes his head.

"It doesn't matter," he says on a sigh. "She didn't love me."

"That girl loved you so much she left everything behind so as not to inconvenience you. She left thinking no one here loved or cared about her, and she did it without airing out your dirty laundry. If you can't see that then your blind as well as stupid," Chibs hisses as he snags the bottle from Juice's grasp, and when his words sink in, he drops his head into his hands, knowing his heart is halfway across the country by now, and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it.


End file.
